Saturday, April 24, 2010

Over 560 players have stormed the Holiday Inn - Palo Verde in Tucson, AZ for this year's state scholastic chess championship. The participants will play 7-rounds (6 in high school) over the 2-day weekend to compete with players and schools from across the state for individual and team titles.

In order to play in the event, players much first qualify. Qualification requirements are as follows:

To play in the AZ State Scholastic Championships, a player must qualify a “slot” at a Regional Qualifier. A school may bring the number of players equal to the number of slots qualified at all regionals +1; a team qualifying exactly two in a section may bring 4 players in that section. Players in: K-1 who wish to qualify for the K-1 section do so by either playing four rounds OR by scoring three points, in any section of any qualifier; Primary, Elementary & Junior High must score at least 3 points at a qualifier; High School do not have to qualify.

The last remaining chance to qualify in Tucson is the Tucson Scholastics (RQ 2), being held March 27 at Harelson Elementary. There are other qualifiers being held throughout the state and players in the Southern Region are allowed to play in those events. Contact us if you need a list of other qualifiers being held in the state.

Registration for the event can be done online at the SACA website. Select the tournament in the left side bar and registration information will load in the main frame. USCF membership is required for this event. You can check the status of your USCF membership here. If you need to join USCF or renew your membership you can do it online at the USCF website.

The special room rate at the Holiday Inn is $69/night (single/double) and $89/night for a suite. Mention "SACA" or "chess tournament" when you reserve your rooms. The phone number for the hotel is (520) 746-1161. You can also book your rooms online.

This is also a Blitz tournament Friday, April 23. Registration for that event is also available at the SACA website. There are no qualification requirements. USCF membership is required as well.